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22 May, 2009

They, Too, Bravely Ran Away

...Democrats really are isolated from the military. Harry Truman had been an artillery captain; John Kennedy and Carter, Navy officers. But Bill Clinton did everything possible to avoid the draft, and Obama, motivated as he was to public service, never gave a thought to volunteering for the military.

I do so love it when Cons try to paint Dems as lily-livered military-hating cowards. It gives Steve Benen the opportunity to point out a few salient facts:

Consider a slightly different take. George W. Bush avoided Vietnam and failed to complete his obligations to the Texas Air National Guard, while Dick Cheney sought and received five deferments. In the House, neither the Minority Leader nor the Minority Whip served in the military. In the Senate, neither the Minority Leader nor the Minority Whip served in the military. Prominent Republican governors eyeing the 2012 presidential race -- Jindal, Sanford, Palin, Romney, Crist -- have no military background. Leading Republican voices outside government -- Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck -- chose to never wear the uniform.

That, my darlings, is why we call them Yellow Elephants. They like to talk the tough talk, but when it comes to walking the walk, they pull a Sir Robin instead.

3 comments:

Let's not forget that back in 2006 it was the Democrats who actively sought out war veterans to run for Congress. More than twenty were elected, versus one Republican veteran. The strongest voices when it comes to veterans' affairs have been Democrats.

Calling Democrats isolated from the military is intellectual laziness at best, and an outright lie at worst.